1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic games, and more specifically, to saving game data that can be rendered and viewed.
2. Background
Computer entertainment game systems and gaming technology have advanced over the years from the simple games such as Pong® and Tetris® to very complex shooter and sport games that have high speed, high resolution graphics and can be played in multi-player environments. Increased sophistication of features have increased players' interest in the games as well as increasing the difficulty of playing the games. In addition, many games now have multi-player options which enable players from all over the globe to participate in a single-game environment using one or more consoles interconnected by an online network such as the Internet. In this online environment players have access to large numbers and wide ranges of opponents of varying skill levels.
Many games have various levels, where a player needs to successfully navigate through a series of obstacles or scenarios before the player can move to the next level. It may take the player many tries before they are successful in making it through a level. Because of this learning curve or puzzle solving challenge inherent in games, auto-save locations may be inserted at strategic points in a game or a save-game feature may be included so that a player may re-enter a game again from a given point. Once a player is successful in making it through a level, the player enjoys telling other players about their success. The successful player may also inform other players about the way that they successfully traversed the level so that the other player may try the same techniques when they play the game. While the players want to engage in these types of interactions it is often difficult for a player to effectively convey their experiences.
Thus, there is a need for improving techniques for players to review or recount their successful navigation through a game or a particular portion of a game or share their gaming experiences.